JJ's First Christmas

I hope everyone doesn't mind if I take my blog back from Sara today and give a few updates. She did a great job in my place and I expect her to continue adding posts in the months to come.

It has been a very busy month, especially in the last week... here's a quick rundown.

Saturday: Sara and I went to the wedding of her friend, Ryan, who used to work with Sara at Old Navy. The reception was at a small reception center (which I didn't know existed) by the movie theater in Metropolis. Between the wedding and the reception, there was enough time to walk through some stores and do some scouting for what I was going to get Sara for Christmas.

Sunday: We went to a post-church breakfast at Bob and Mary Francis' house. The food was great and we had a good time catching up with all the guests. I was essentially in a food coma during the Colts game that afternoon, but from what I vaguely remember they won.

Tuesday: JJ and Santa.

JJ isn't quite old enough for stranger anxiety, but I still expected him to scream instantly because my visions of Santa have been tainted by A Christmas Story. He actually did very well; only crying once he was repositioned on Santa's lap and he looked up to see who was holding him. I don't think it'll go so well next year so I'm putting this visit in the memory bank.

Wednesday: Sara, Stevie, Anna, and Betsy increased the family blood sugar by 20 points each with piles of Christmas cookies, rice crispy treats, oreo balls, and whatever else can come from a combination of sugar, chocolate, and icing.

I also received a contract in the mail from Hendricks Regional Health with a job offer. I interviewed out there a week before and apparently it went as well as I thought it did. They are offering me an opportunity to open my own practice in Avon - at 36 and Dan Jones. Barring any surprises or setbacks, I'll be signing the paperwork next month!

Friday: The Cline family Christmas was at our house this year. Donnie was able to make it back from MD or WV, wherever he is nowadays. Add in dad, Vickie and Alfredo, Theresa and the kids, and Donnie/Chandy and their kids and you have a FULL house. All went well until Jacob dropped the vegetables and salad all over the kitchen floor. Other than that it was a great night!

Christmas: Unfortunately I had to work at Wishard on Christmas morning so our Christmas didn't start till around noon, but it was worth the wait. JJ was better at opening presents than I expected, but of course his favorite gift was Cubbie's new rawhide bone. That afternoon we had Fon family Christmas, which once again resulted in a food coma. Chase and JJ got tons of gifts - as the smiles in this picture implies.

So that was a quick rundown of our busy week.

As for JJ milestone updates, he hasn't slowed down any. I don't think he was crawling for two weeks when I walked in to get him from a nap and he is standing in his crib. Now I can't keep him entertained with any of his toys because he just wants to crawl, pull to a stand, or follow Sara or me into the kitchen so he can play with Cubbie's toys.

Now is close enough to the start of 2011 that I'll throw out some New Years Resolutions:

1. Increase reading/studying by one hour/week to prep for our resident exam and board exam

2. Drop a few lbs, plan to be under 200# for the first time since 8th grade before I go to Hawaii in April. Hoping to get to around 190-195# for Matt's wedding in June, but going to be tough with all the mass I'm gonna put on working out with Andy.

3. Have JJ doing entry level algebra by his first birthday.

- Figure 2/3 won't be too bad. We'll see which ones work out by next Christmas 2011. Hope you all had an equally great Christmas. Stay safe for New Years!

Hello...it's ME again! :-)

Once again, you all have the pleasure of hearing from Mrs. Dr. Dad, MD.!!!

November and December are always so busy for everyone, so I'm not surprised that I am needing to keep up with the blog. Scott has been busy with work, having to work a few extra calls and such because a few other residents are out on medical leave, as well as picking up a few extra shifts to help pay for our Hawaii trip! The plan was for us to save the $50/week that I would get at Old Navy to pay for some of the trip...well, that has pretty much turned into paying my Old Navy Visa bill because I can't make it out of there with at least getting 1 thing! :-)

JJ was has been able to achieve A LOT of Firsts over the past few weeks!

1. He has achieved a 100% in crawling! (And yes...everyone was right about not wanting him to learn to crawl soo soon!) He knows just how to get to things and there is always a look of determination in his eyes if he really want to get something!

2. 1st Haircut! Yes...I know! He's only 7 months! But it was OUT OF CONTROL! We took him to Everyday Joe's in Brownsburg where Scott's barber, Tommy, had the pleasure of cutting my little boy's hair! Here's a few pictures to enjoy...

3. JJ's 1st Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving was wonderful! We were able to spend the day with my parents, Stephen, Anna, and Sheryl and Wood. Then we took JJ to a visit with Grandma Polly...and to surprise her with his new look, as she was the one who kept asking if we had gotten his hair cut yet! :-)

4. 1st TOOTH!!! JJ and I had gone to church with my family, went to mom's and had breakfast, JJ played, met Scott home from work, and all of a sudden I see something catch the light in JJ's mouth! Sure enough...his 1st tooth! We had gone ALL day without noticing it! Looking back at it, he just hadn't really been the same the few days before. A little cranky, sleepy, and just wanted to be held, but nothing out of control, so I had NO IDEA that this tooth was trying to make it's appearance! We don't have any pictures of it yet, as 99% of it is still in his gums, but I can already see the next one is going to be joining us soon! Maybe next month we'll have a picture!

5. Last but not least...I would have to say he is 99.9% with his sitting skills and has pretty much mastered getting into a sitting position from crawling! It is SOO funny to go walking in his room in the morning to see him just sitting there in his bed playing with his blanket and glow worm! He could probably sit there all day if I'd let him!

So there's JJ's 7th month in a glance! We are very excited for his 1st Christmas and can't to tell you all about the loud toys that do not turn off! :-)

Wishing you and your families all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sara

Tales from Mrs. Dr. Dad, MD...

Since it has been a while since Scott last updated his blog, it was suggested that I write one for him! (Probably had NOTHING to do with me nagging him about JJ almost being 7 months old and that he had not posted anything for month 6!) :-) So I have never done anything like this, besides my random postings on Facebook...so here I go...

We'll start with JJ...His 6 month check up went great! I actually took him all by myself, and had to watch him get 3 shots! Unfortunately, I am the one to blame for the 3rd...it was his flu shot and they asked if I wanted him to have one. I do not even think they were finished asking me before I said yes! Anything that can be done to help prevent him from getting sick...sign me up! JJ was 16 pounds 5 ounces, and grew another 1 1/2 inches! He's definitely gonna be tall and skinny! We have started to transition him to formula and he is a BIG fan of rice cereal. I am thinking the treat this weekend will be to try out his 1st veggies! We'll see how that goes! JJ has definitely become a little stinker! I have never thought something soo stinky could come out of someone so small! I have dealt with messes before...helping raise Anna and Stevie, having to clean up vomit and fixing broken toilets at the store...but I would have to say I thought I was going to vomit for the 1st time while changing JJ's diaper the other day! Scott came in to see if I needed help and he could barely walk into the room!

Any day now, JJ will be on the go! He definitely has the rocking motion down to start crawling, but tends to only move backwards! He does have a bit of an Army crawl, so between that and rolling around, he can definitely get to something if he really wants it! I have already started using "NO" A LOT! Then he looks at me and starts to laugh! Times like that, I know he is Scott's son! :-)

Moving on to Scott...He has been busy with work over the past month. He just finished a month working at Riley, and is glad that is over. He has never really liked working on the Peds. side of neurology to begin with, but hates it even more with having JJ around now. For the rest of this month, he is working at IU, and continuing working extra shifts at Methodist Occupational Health. We have been trying to get into a workout schedule, but Scott's shoulder has been acting up again so we have been very hit or miss with gym time!

As for me...I have tried to get JJ and I in a schedule. For the most part, we have pretty easy days. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that JJ sleeps 10+ hours a night, so that means that I get to sleep in til about 8 or 9 each day! :-) I have been working a couple times a month at Old Navy still. Definitely love the fact that I get to say..."It's 1pm...Time for me to go home!" :-) We are also saving our money up for our vacations! Scott has a conference in Hawaii in April and we have a wedding to go to in June in Mexico! Everyone asks if we are taking JJ with us and I quickly answer NO! I know we will miss him A TON but Mom AND JJ need a vacation!

JJ's 1st Halloween was a success! Unfortunately, Scott's grandmother had passed away earlier that week, so we were not able to make all the stops we wanted. We were able to do an "early" Trick-or-Treating at Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Steve's house that Friday, as my family all gathered to carve pumpkins. And then on Halloween, we were able to make it home in time for Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. So we got JJ all dressed up in his Shark costume and took him to our neighbors and then handed out candy at our house! I'm sure JJ was trying to figure out what in the heck was going on!

So here we are...a beautiful week in November! I suggested to Scott that he put up the Christmas lights outside this weekend. He looked at me like I was crazy and then I replied..."Well, I don't want to hear you cry about it when it's freezing out!" :-)

And to end my ramblings...

It is that time of year that we look back at all that we are thankful for, and I want to take this time to thank ALL of our friends and family! You have each played such a special part in our lives and we are better people because of all of you! We thank you for always being there for us and we hope we do the same for you and your families!

Here's wishing you all a VERY Happy Thanksgiving!

Sara

5 months...

Yesterday marked 5 months for JJ and it was one of his biggest days yet. A small group of our closest family and friends joined us at St. Malachy for JJ's baptism. Fr. Troy was kind enough to drive up from central Kentucky to perform the ceremony. Everything went off without a hitch and we went to the Fon's house for a great dinner. This also gave me a reason to break out my last bottle of Tokaji. I passed it around the table so everyone could try a little then disappeared out back with the guys to finish it off. Add in a few beers and a little Slovenian firewater and everyone was having a good time.
Otherwise it has been status quo around here for the past month. JJ continues to explore the house by rolling and every once in awhile he'll scoot as if he's trying to piece together crawling. Sara is maintaining her sanity with the help of a few shifts per month at Old Navy as well as training with Betsy at a fitness bootcamp in Brownsburg. There's talk of mini-marathon... anyone want to tackle this one with her???

Since I don't have a whole lot to update on, I'll digress to something I was debated one day at work. What is my favorite song of all time? It seems like a simple question that should have a simple answer, but it's more difficult than you might think. It took about an hour but here is my list.

Top 10 list of favorite songs...

1. Going to California (Led Zepplin).

Hard to argue against anything LZ did, but this song has the simplicity that makes me think I could play Jimmy Page's part while knowing full well that just is not true.

2. Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd).

While I do enjoy the guitar on this as well, the lyrics are what sell this one for me.

3. Renegade (Styx).

I was never really into Styx until I went to a concert where they were accompanied by REO Speedwagon and Def Leppard. I was shocked at how many of their songs I liked and Renegade is the one that you will keep the car running for until the song is over.

4. Hot for Teacher (Van Halen).

I don't know how this song isn't in everyone's top 5. "I don't feel tardy" makes me laugh every time I hear it. Not to mention the drum solo to start the song, spectacular.

5. Shakin' (Eddie Money).

I mean... it's Eddie Money. 'nuf said.

6. Moondance (Van Morrison)

I know he has more famous songs, but this one is his best. Check it out.

7. Sympathy for the Devil (Rolling Stones)

This one was tough because I like so many Stones songs, but when they played Super Bowl XL my ideal set list would have included Sympathy for the Devil, Tumbling Dice, Gimme Shelter, and Paint It Black. Can't have a four-way tie, so the nod goes to SftD.

8. Superstition (Stevie Wonder)

I've been listening to this song for as long as I can remember so it's gotta make the cut somewhere.

9. Home (Jack Johnson)

Not even close to his most famous song, and actually may not even be his best song, but it really hits home for me (no pun intended). His ability to describe the evolution of life and love requires his placement on this list.

10. Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who)

I can't scream like that, can you?

Honorable Mention: AC/DC Thunderstruck and Doobie Brothers China Grove.

I have more "Best Of..." categories to come. Please feel free to discuss or leave comments but know that since it's my blog, I'm right.

4 months...

JJ has been hitting a lot of milestones over the past month. Not only is he still smiling consistently but he is laughing more and more. His grasp has improved a ton since my last blog, so much so that he is starting to pull hair (not just us, but Cubbie too). His latest achievement has been rolling over. And not just once and done like I figured he would start out... almost as quickly that he flipped back to front he was flipping back over. Now I basically have a log rolling down a river for a son. Sara or I will walk into the kitchen just to grab a drink or put a dish away and upon our return his head is either under the coffee table or pinned next to his chair swing. If I'm gonna be gone for than 30 seconds I've starting jamming pillows on either side of him to keep him in place!
Try out the movie clip below!

JJ also made his debut at Fogo last month during Devour Downtown. Matt and Abby, Heather, and Stevie joined us as well - always a good time whenever a group like that gets together. Sara tried a caipirinha, I won an argument against Matt about lamb, and we all got papaya cream with creme de cassis. Letting someone else pay for my Fogo is better financially, but not nearly as much fun.


The Cline family had their picture taken a couple of weeks ago at St. Malachy. Once our pictures arrived, I started looking back at JJ's old photos and wow has he changed. When he was first born, he was definitely a Cline. I think he looked just like me when I was born - especially with the thick dark hair and large blue eyes. But I gotta admit that 4 months later, he's starting to show more and more Fon.


Had our 4 month checkup last week and he just keeps getting bigger. For some reason I always hear Michael Buffer in my head when we take him into the measurement room... "And now... weighing in at 14# 6.5 oz... measuring 25.5 inches long... JJ Cline! (for those who don't know that's the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" boxing announcer). Everything checked out just fine. Unfortunately, he also got another round of vaccines. However, while the first injection was a surprise to him - he did not cry at all. That's more than I can say for me...


I had my shoulder injected early that morning and I was not prepared for what a human joint feels like when it is abruptly filled with fluid. I wasn't sure it was going to do any good, but my shoulder hasn't felt this good in years and I now think everyone should have it done - whether you have pain or not. Hoping to get back into the gym this week, which gives Sara and I nine months to get into beach shape for Matt and Abby's wedding.

That's about all I got for now. I'll leave you with another installment of my favorite names from Riley that will ensure a proper future: Nevaeh (note the name spelled backwards), Oranjelo and Lemonjelo (they are twins), Miracle, Desire, and Precious.

3 months...

July has been a busy month for me, and therefore Sara as well. I am finishing up a surprisingly busy month at the VA. In addition, I had a couple extra calls to help the new residents get their feet wet before throwing them into the night call pool. Add that to a few moonlighting shifts, a busy 4th of July weekend (special shout out to Pete and all his guys who put on a spectacular firework show from him backyard), a couple Fogo dinners, and a couple days of golf and that adds up to a busy month. Unfortunately (but luckily at least in this context) my shoulder has limited my weight lifting and softball and that has freed up a lot of nights.

Our anniversary was July 17 but Sara allowed me to delay our anniversary celebration a week so I could golf up in Hobart with Dave, Cook, and Andy. We played quite well and even won a little money for winning our flight.

The next weekend Sara and I dropped off JJ with the Fons and went to Jack Johnson up at Deer Creek (it'll always be DC to me, just like the Hoosier Dome -- take that RCA). Bought pavilion seats for the first time because of concerns about rain. Didn't know the last 2 rows of the pavilion are not under the canopy though, man I would have been mad if it had rained. Luckily it didn't rain till the ride home. Otherwise it was a beautiful night and a great show. Gotta say I loved being able to take our time, walk in during the opening acts, grab our seats and hang out in a smoke free area till the show started. I was surprised at how smoke free it stayed during the show and I'm definitely thinking those seats are worth the extra $20/ea just for that.

JJ has been spending a lot of time with the Fons over the past few weeks. Sara and I have been trying to get into shape but our inconsistent schedules have made that difficult. Graciously, Sara's family has been willing to watch JJ while we hit the gym. Also Sara went back to work two weeks ago, just Friday afternoons. It's not really for the extra money, but that it gives her time to be around adults and talk normal English with normal inflection for 5hrs/week. Most importantly we keep our discounts - who knew kids clothes were so expensive. Shirts for JJ and I the other day cost the same amount!

I took JJ to the barber shop the other day because Tommy said exposing him to the sounds of the clippers early would make getting his hair cut later much easier. I sat him on my lap the whole time and even when Tommy took the clippers close to him he didn't flinch. I was tempted to get him that trim he's needed since the day he was born but figured it wasn't worth Sara never speaking to me again. By the way, for those who said JJ's hair would fall out take a look at his latest pictures. For those who are thinning up top, we're taking bids for hair rights when we do finally cut it. Should be long enough to weave into something respectable.

No updates from the doctors office since we don't have to go back until his 4mo checkup. I'm sure JJ is quite content with that because I think he gets vaccinations at his next 3 visits. Since we don't have a weight update Sara weighed him on our scale at home by subtracting her weight from the total. He came in at 12.5#. Not sure how official that is, but sounds like we're still on the right track.

Sara and JJ have developed a pretty consistent routine during the day, which includes sleeping through the entire night!!! That does of course lead to less sleep during the day but I think Sara has distractions figured out so she can still get stuff done. He enjoys his mat with the mirror octopus, seahorse, and kickball (thanks Dave and Mo), his baseball rattle, and not surprisingly the television. Sara puts it on cartoons like Mickey Mouse and Tom and Jerry (none of that newer crap). I put it on SportsCenter or a Cubs game and he's still mesmerized. I think it's 55" of HD that he's impressed with but whatever it is that keeps him from crying I'll take it.

For some reason I got the urge to check the Riley ER list. Gotta leave you with an update of what I am calling "Names You Should Name Your Child if You Want to Visit Riley Hospital." Here are a few of today's favorites: Atlanta, Kaya, Jarek, Xaiden, Chaydon, Jadn (yes these are spelled right), and the best of the night... Tamiracle. Good luck to all these children in their future job interviews.

Been Awhile...

The past month has been quite busy; busy enough that I haven't kept up this blog well. With Father's Day, Sara's birthday, and my birthday all within two weeks we had plenty to celebrate. And don't forget 3 weeks now of World Cup soccer. I could write this entire blog about how the US got hosed, but I'm making my peace with it.

JJ donned his Slovenia soccer outfit for the US v Slovenia match. Sara and JJ joined several other Slovenes down at IUPUI student center to watch the game. Great game with an ending that is still debated at every Fon gathering.

For Father's Day we went over to Betsy and Grant's for a late breakfast. This was after JJ made his first, and certainly not last, visit to Charlie Brown's.

We had our first night out without JJ on Sara's birthday last week. Sara and I took off for Eddie Merlot's (shouldn't surprise Egan that we had a coupon) and left JJ with Sheryl and Stevie. Took a second run at Bananas Foster and just as good as we remembered. Proud to say that we did not call home once to make sure everything was ok and everyone survived.

Earlier that day we took a family trip to Edinburg and hit the outlet mall. JJ loaded up on jeans while Sara and I made our semi-annual clothing upgrades. As always great deals and I'll never buy my dress shirts anywhere else, highly recommend it.

The next day was a cathartic experience because we took JJ for his 2 month check up. He measure 2 in taller and weighed in at 11# 5.5oz, very happy with that. He's measuring 47th percentile in weight, but 73rd percetile for height. After talking with the doctor though, JJ got his first round of shots. He took 3 needles to the thighs and one oral vaccine. Oral rotavirus went fine but he was NOT happy about the injections. Luckily, he screamed for about 15min and then slept most of the next 2 days.

My birthday came next and that day I got a phone call from Betty and Denny asking if we had time for dinner. Sara had been planning on dropping JJ off and taking me out, but a nice stay at home dinner with visitors sounded just as good. They got to meet JJ and share stories from overseas. Apparently they are planning their next posting in Kabul, so I don't see us visiting there. Maybe we can meet them halfway, perhaps somewhere in eastern Europe??? Denny also brought me another bottle of Tokaji. Just looking for a reason to crack it open...

JJ may be getting bigger by the day, but just as importantly he is getting that much closer to sleeping through the night. Sara tells me (because I wouldn't wake up if he hit me in the face with his rattle) that he will sleep a solid 5 hours or so now.

As of today, I have 364 more days till my residency ends and I get to attack those looming student loans. Talk about a cathartic experience, can't wait. Till next time...

One Month Down!

This week JJ turned one month old and he seems to be getting bigger and stronger by the day. We have been working on head control during tummy time and while he is not the biggest fan of lying face down, he is definitely making progress.

Sara and JJ seem to be developing a routine and despite the occasional hiccup it has worked. He consistently eats around 1030-11PM and then will sleep till 230-4AM. Sara will feed him again and most days he'll sleep till at least 7AM. Not too bad, but easy for me to say because I'm not the one having to get up everynight. The rest of the day is basically feed him when he wants it, change him when he needs it, and work on pitching mechanics and teach him basic algebra in the off time. I've been on vacation this past week, so his sessions have been pretty intense but so far he is up to the task.

My cousin Matt came over two weeks ago and took JJ's first set of pictures. They came out great and Sara is working on getting some of them printed. Dad brought Great-grandma Cline to meet JJ during our photo shoot, so we got some good pictures of them with JJ as well.

The week after Sara and I took JJ over to meet Great-grandma Braun for the first time. This was only after my grandma left an email wondering why a month had gone by without a visit (OOPS!). JJ behaved himself pretty well and both grandma and Jane took turns holding him.

We also got a special visit from JJ's namesake (not really) Jeff Nally. That was difficult to type that because he's always been JJ and I refuse to call him Jeff. He stopped by Thursday and entertained us with stories about his family and so on. Always good to have him around.

JJ's one month check-up was Wednesday and he is growing quickly! He is now 22inches tall and 9#8oz. Next visit should be interesting as he gets 3 vaccine injections. Luckily I'm on vacation that week too. Something tells me I'll be holding a not-too-happy infant while handing tissues to a not-too-happy mother.

PS: I'm on call right now and am monitoring the Riley ER for possible consults that I will have to drive downtown to see. Just to add evidence to my theory regarding the correlation between a child's name and childhood disease here is sampling of some names on the board right now...

Rickia, Darcey, Tanner, and (my personal favorite so far for today) Kal-el. That's right, named after Superman himself. Those are some big shoes to fill kid, good luck!

1st Mother's Day

Been awhile since my last post and it certainly has not been because I've had tons of time on my hands to do other things. JJ is getting more active every day. Last week I came home from work and he was wide awake for two hours straight. I didn't know what to do! Normally I come home and he is either asleep, feeding, or crying -- or some combination there of. Now he has added awake and alert but no crying; wasn't ready for that. I figured that was as good a time as any to work on his pitching motion. We worked on range of motion drills and getting a good follow through (and of course all with the left hand). He seemed more interested in putting his hand in his mouth, but at least it was his left hand. Can you teach lefthandedness? We will soon see.

Mother's Day was Sunday and as of Tuesday of last week I did not know this. Sara mentions Tuesday that she offered to host a cookout at our house for Mother's Day and we need to go get groceries. I, of course, asked why so soon because Mother's Day isn't till next Sunday. I was promptly told I was incorrect.


Sara slept in after a long night with JJ so I snuck out to get a quick present. She got some flowers, a new picture frame for our first family picture, and most importantly Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. It wasn't subtle which part she liked the best. Figured it wasn't bad on short notice, especially considering that without the cookout I would have been a week late!

Sunday was a day full of visitors. All of the Fon clan came over for lunch except Sheryl who stayed home sick. Later Larry and Kathy brought Grandma Fon over to visit. It was a long day but good to see everyone.

Monday night the Buck's came by to meet JJ. The girls were very interested in JJ; probably because they had no clue what an infant male looks like. There was a heated discussion, but I think the dowry was finally set for Mary and JJ.

That's pretty much a play by play of our time around the house. I will also make mention of a great Pearl Jam concert on Friday night. They played a cover of The Elms' "Going Back to Indiana" that really made me feel like he wanted to be here. I've been to concerts where it seemed like they were just going through the motions and mailing it in. But Eddie's shout outs to Johnny Cougar's son winning Golden Gloves, Larry Bird and Salt Lick (he corrected himself to French Lick), and their 3 encores made it obvious they wanted to be here. Also wanted to mention Holmes' 30th bday party at Jillian's on Saturday. Wish I could have stayed longer, but still had a good time catching up with everyone. Gotta mention that I probably posted the high game bowling. Unfortunately the same is not true for Pop-A-Shot, apparently that's just a Canada thing. Till next time...

First Peds Appointment

Things are starting to make more sense as Sara and I develop a routine around here. Of course, this will only hold for 8 more hours as I start back to work on 5/2 with an overnight call at Wishard. Now that I'll be back at work full time (plus a second part-time job) more of the burden with JJ and the house will fall on Sara. Luckily, we have multiple family members close by who love to come by and see JJ. Hopefully, we can coerce their visits as a chance for Sara to take a break, run errands, etc.

So Wednesday was the big day for meeting our new pediatrician. Her name is Dr. Fesenmeier and she recently opened a practice in the STV network off 700N in Bburg. She knows the Fons from St. Malachy and Ritter and I have met her husband several times as he is a neurologist at Clarian West. Nice people overall and figured we'd keep it in the St. Malachy, Ritter, IU family - so to speak.

We arrived 10 minutes before our appointment, which of course was 20 minutes later than we were told to be there to fill out paperwork. It only took one trip to the MD to realize how much time it takes to pack up an infant. Everyone marveled at JJ's full head of hair and before long he was tipping the scales at 8# 4oz. He was born at 8#11oz, so this was pretty good for 4 days later. He'll regain that weight in no time, if he hasn't already. Dr. Fesenmeier checked him out and said he was perfectly healthy. JJ made sure she heard his lungs nice and clear (and loud). He charted at 90% for height, 75% for weight, and 70% for head circumference. She said at 21.5 inches she expects him to be at least 6ft tall, so I'm pretty happy with that. Plus no shots for 2 months, so Sara was very happy with that.

Today JJ got a visit from Vickie and Montana. Neither of them got to see JJ in the hospital since Montana was too young and Vickie stayed home because of illness. Both were very excited and timed it well because JJ was awake the entire visit. Each held him and even after a couple spit ups when Vickie asked "Montana what do you think" she replied, "I like him." Later on Saturday we had dinner with Sara's parents. There JJ got his first run in with Bob and Mary Francis Mohr. He was passed out by that time, but he got a very nice outfit from them that we'll have to try out when he gets bigger.

Overall, I gotta think week one was a success:

1. Sara and I have managed to at least get enough sleep to be functional

2. Lots of family came by to meet JJ. Plus, Dave and Mo stopped by (with dinner, thanks again) as did Andy without any problems

3. Cubbie is very active around the house with JJ and his face licking comes in handy when trying to wake him

4. Got new front room furniture that is hopefully a little more kid friendly

5. JJ and I watched our first Cubs game together... and they actually won.

Keep the W flag hanging high because this will be a year to remember.

Homeward Bound

My Facebook post may have been a little premature yesterday about heading home. I sent that around 6PM as we only had a hearing test and the newborn screen left to do. Unfortunately, JJ didn't really appreciate his circumcision that occurred a few hours prior. He hadn't eaten much that afternoon because he was either crying or passed out to the point he wouldn't/couldn't wake up. After some prolonged coaxing, he finally got his tests done and was eating well enough to take off. We hit the door around 10PM and that was just the start of the night...

Katie came by to set up a Pack-and-Play for us and left us dinner. Nothing like fried chicken and mac&cheese at 11PM; wouldn't make a habit out of it but it hit the spot last night (thanks again Katie). JJ was met by a very excited dog, and surprisingly it went very well. Cubbie sniffed him all over, licked his face a few times, and after that you couldn't separate them. I really do think he will sleep at the foot of JJ's bed eventually, but for right now he instead runs around with his tail wagging, barking, and wanting to play.

I think last night Sara found out what it is like being on call. She took the first shift of being with him overnight because everytime we laid him down he'd awaken and start crying. I got hit and miss sleep from 1AM to 6AM while Sara somehow stayed up the entire time. She finally went to bed and I held him from 6-830. We both took naps the following day with vivid dreams of what it'll be like when he can sleep alone and for more than 45min at a time. Finding out that he loves his baby rocker makes me hopeful that day is closer than I would have guessed last night.

Stevie and Phyllis brought us dinner today, thanks Phyllis. Stevie got to meet JJ for the first time. He did pretty well with him despite JJ being a little grumpy when they got here. Even though he cried a couple times Stevie didn't flinch. He jumped in head first, which is more than I can say for Betsy and her loving index finger :) (see photos below).

If tonight goes well, Sara says she's up for visitors so send either of us a text and we'll figure out a good time to come by.

Day #2

Is it wrong to say that day 2 could be better than day 1? I'll always remember yesterday: Sara's induction and delivery, JJ's arrival, and even the stress related to the above plus him needing some extra attention. Even with all that, today has to rank in the top 10 for me. Let me recount the day and you can tell me if I'm crazy...

Sara arose around 6AM and helped with JJ's first bath. I apparently didn't awake to my invitation, but that's ok. She returned with good news. JJ's supplemental oxygen had been decreased overnight and by 9AM it was completely off. He also started feeds today and for each successful feeding his IV fluids were decreased. As of now they are at 1ml/hr and should be turned off soon.

Dad showed up around noon and got to meet his newest grandson. Didn't get any pics of it because I left the camera in the room, oops! Sheryl and Wood showed up soon thereafter and of course there was no way she was forgetting to take pics. Then had a quick lunch at Rock Bottom with Sheryl and Wood (paid for by Wood's baby pool winnings, thanks Wood). Upon my return, Theresa and the kids were waiting in our room. Not two minutes later Katie shows up and we took turns taking JJ's aunts back to meet him.

The next few hours are a mystery to me as I fell asleep in Sara's bed while she ate lunch. However, I learned something the NBA is good for - improving sleep hygiene. If you can't sleep, turn on the first half of an NBA game. It's better than Ambien, Lunesta, and whiskey combined. I'm gonna copy the music from the NBA pregame intro and turn it into a lullaby for JJ.

I awoke around 630 to Steve, Phyllis, Anna, Stevie, and Betsy visiting. The grandparents got to see him before treating us to 25 cent Blizzards. Spent a little more time back in the nursery before Sara came back to the room and finally got some sleep. That left me time to write this blog and watch most of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I can't turn this movie off because Gene Wilder reminds me of Mac, my high school baseball coach. Not many movies get me to laugh outloud repeatedly and this is one of them...

Quick name your favorite WW quote...

Off the top of my head, here's my list:

5) I'm sorry, I'm a trifle deaf in this ear. You'll have to speak up.

4) He'll be made into marshmallows in 5 seconds. Impossible! Ridiculous my dear lady, absurd! Unthinkable! Why? That tube doesn't go to the marshmallow room. It goes to the fudge room!

3) What was that thing? Hsawaknow. What is that Japanese? No, it's WonkaWash backwards.

2) Open your mouth a little wider when you speak.

1) I'm sorry but all questions must be submitted in writing. Thank you. Moving on!

Sounds like Sara is going to be released tomorrow, but haven't heard if JJ is going with us just yet. I'll be sure and let everyone know the plan is. Tomorrow's installment will either be Day 3 in the hospital or, hopefully, Day 1 at home.

PS. The 25 cent Blizzard sale ends tomorrow so get to your local DQ and load up. I recommend either the caramel brownie or chocolate covered cherries!

Day#1

Didn't really know what to expect as today started. Showed up at the hospital around 8AM and registration took 2 minutes. Sara was in bed and getting her meds within an hour, no problem. Heart monitor attached and heart rate was within normal range consistently, again no problem. Epidural placed with a little trouble passing the catheter, but again overall no problem. We were 7 hours into our stay when Sara said she suddenly felt a lot of pressure and sure enough the baby was on his way...

There was a great deal of excitement and wonder during the entire process. I was so revved up at one point that Sara caught me pacing (that was a first). There was also a palpable feeling of deja vu from exactly 53 weeks before. While trying not to show my concern, I kept waiting for something to maybe go wrong. It had before. Things were going just too well. Different date, different story, different outcome. JJ showed up about 45min later. At this moment he is now 5.5 hrs old and doing pretty well. He is in the transitional care unit because he still needs a little oxygen. He's also getting empiric antibiotics just in case, but our RN says that babies who are delivered that quickly often don't clear their lungs in time before they have to start breathing so this is not atypical in these situations. The plan is to start weaning his oxygen as his levels tolerate and eventually he'll either cough it all up or just reabsorb it. I've gotten pretty good at reading MDs and RNs faces and can tell when they aren't being straight with patients; so far they don't seem all that concerned so at least for the moment neither am I.

Mom is doing well also. Her epidural is almost completely worn off and we've visited JJ once this evening already. She doesn't look the least bit tired and didn't take a nap today which shocks me. Around 8:30 PM or so I could barely keep my eyes open and all I did was stand there. I did make about 30 phone calls afterward so maybe that's why. Or it could have been the QDoba.

I will continue to post information about both Sara and JJ on here as well as via email and Facebook. I hope Day #1 was as good for you as it was for me. Stay tuned it should be a fun and entertaining ride.